It’s a safe bet that on any given morning, while most high school varsity athletes are just waking up to start their days, Liberty senior Anton Loncar and sophomore Daniel Lupro can be found swimming laps in a pool.

Both athletes are among the most talented swimmers in the state and could win multiple individual state championships by the time their careers wind to a close.

However, nothing either of those two athletes have done this season made a bigger impact on Liberty swim coach Paul Hanson’s team goals than what a group of underclassmen were able to do in the pool at the start of the season.

Hanson couldn’t believe the times he was seeing from his younger swimmers at the St. Helens Invitational Relays on Dec. 5. They weren’t record-setting. In fact, none of the surprises were likely to battle for even league championships.

But what Hanson’s stopwatch was telling him was that Liberty finally had the depth to compete at the state level.

“We were at the St. Helens relay meet and I was just looking at some of the times of our swimmers, thinking, ‘Wow, if they can stay consistent and get a little bit faster we have the makings of being a very competitive, strong team,’ ” Hanson said.

Sophomores Nathan and Caleb Allison, Patrick Maloney and freshman Max Schmitt all stunned their coach on that day and are a big part of the reason Liberty sits at 4-0 on the season.

Others who surprised and have added to the Falcons’ depth are juniors Austin Finster and Mohsen Assadi.

“While they weren’t going to be individual event winners or district or league champions, they were definitely going to be those swimmers that were going to be those second-place guys that are necessary to win a high school swim meet,” Hanson said.

“Our next level isn’t quite there to make a run at the state title,” Hanson said. “Top five is what we’re hoping for.”

The same can’t be said of Liberty’s two individual stars – Loncar and Lupro.

Loncar, the senior, has been “the embodiment of a student-athlete,” according to Hanson, since he first arrived at the school. The reigning state champion gets stellar grades and spends about three hours in the pool every day, trying to better himself.

Rather than remain on that level alone, however, Loncar has brought others along, including Lupro.

“There is a great bond and a great relationship that the two of them have,” Hanson said. “They carpool to practice together and are very much friends with one another. Anton is a very natural mentor. For a lot of the team members – from Daniel, even on down to the first-year swimmers, they very much look up to him.

“To see that he puts in the work necessary day-in and day-out for years upon years, it’s great to have him on any team. He does it the right way – with hard work. He is a great, great young man.”

That work ethic had an impact on the training regimen of Lupro, who burst onto the scene as a freshman by placing second in the state in the 100 breaststroke and third in the 200 IM.

“As a freshman, that was a remarkable first-year experience,” Hanson said. “I could definitely see Daniel continuing to improve and being in the top three in a variety of events. And there’s definitely a possibility of multiple state championships.”

Earning multiple state titles would likely mean help from the relay team – a foursome that includes Loncar and Lupro, as well as junior Decker Strom and senior Jake Collins.

Strom is one of the most versatile swimmers on the roster, while Collins has become a vocal leader on the team.

Help from Strom and Collins would certainly be a bonus, but according to Hanson, the vast range of ability and elite skill that Loncar and Lupro possess makes them state-placer potential in just about every event.

“You can put them in anything and they could potentially place at state,” he said. “Both of them are just all-around swimmers that can be placed in whole host of events and be outstanding.”

Despite the program’s progress, Hanson doesn’t see a state title making its way to Hillsboro anytime soon. For starters, Loncar will graduate in June and will be attending the University of Denver by the time next season rolls around. The other factor is that the team still lacks second-tier depth – a range of athletes who can place at state, but aren’t necessarily state champions.

“We still have a long ways to go before we have the depth necessary to win a team title at the state level,” Hanson said. “We need more swimmers like Anton and Daniel, or even a level below them. We’d need three relay teams that could place at the state competition. At this point, we could really only put together two relays that could score at the state meet if we’re lucky.”

While a state title is out of reach, Hanson is thrilled with the growth and development he is seeing in his young athletes. He said that progress, as much as coaching champions, is why he became a coach in the first place.

“It’s one of the reasons why I love the sport. Swimming is one of those unique opportunities students can have where they turn out as freshmen not much aware of competitive swimming,” he said. “To see the amount of growth that they are capable of within a short amount of time, and to provide in a sport that I’m very passionate about, it’s the reason I continue to do it.”